Conventionally, on a dashboard of an automobile or the like, analog-type or counter-type meters, and indicator lamps using, for example, electric bulbs, LEDs, etc. have been used mostly. Further, for digital display or indicator display of numbers, a segmented liquid crystal display unit also has been used generally.
However, recently, a dot matrix type image display device such as a liquid crystal panel display device also has come to be used on the dashboard of the automobile or the like. That is, at least a part of the dashboard is formed of a dot matrix type image display device capable of displaying an arbitrary pattern, and meters such as a speed meter, various indicators, and the like are displayed as images.
Thus, the use of the dot matrix type image display device for the dashboard of the automobile or the like allows the dashboard to have various display patterns. For example, the kinds of meters, indicators and the like to be displayed, and the arrangement or size thereof can be changed dynamically, if required. Further, for example, it also becomes possible to display, side by side, images of meters together with images of scenes outside an automobile photographed by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) photographing device or the like, images for navigation, etc., and thus, the images of meters and the images other than those of the dashboard can be combined to be displayed.
For example, JP 11(1999)-311545 A discloses a display control device that selects and displays display information to be displayed and a display layout from a plurality of pieces of display information previously set in accordance with the driving situation of a vehicle. In the display control device disclosed by JP 11(1999)-311545 A, display information and a display timing thereof can be added/changed in accordance with a user's request. Further, it also is possible to identify a plurality of users individually and switch display forms for each user.